


Helper

by betterrecieved



Category: Spartacus: War of the Damned
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-13
Updated: 2013-03-13
Packaged: 2017-12-05 04:37:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/718959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betterrecieved/pseuds/betterrecieved
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A town with no road, a horse with no name.  Nasir forges a new friendship.</p><p>Ficlet.  Rated PG.  Canon AU from episode 6 'Spoils of War' onward. Unbeta'd so please pardon any mistakes!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Helper

The first time, Nasir ignores it. 

Turning to examine Laeta’s wounds, he feels strong pressure upon his back,  finds himself nearly swept from feet.  He blinks, embarrassed. 

Spartacus’ eyes smile down at him as he lowers Laeta's body for Nasir’s cursory assessment.

*

The second time, he is on guard watch with Lugo at periphery of mountain top, and hearing sound of approaching hooves, finds horse bearing down upon him.

Lugo laughs, but Nasir can only stand frozen, horrified; for when Nasir backs away, horse steps forward.  He feints to left, to right; horse anticipates him.  

Its breath huffs in air between them, warming Nasir’s face.

‘Crazy horse love Nasir,’ Lugo pronounces joyously.

Horse throws back head and makes pleased rumbling sound as if Lugo’s words have officiated obscure rite of bonding.

*

The third time, Nasir is alone, on way to gather medicinal roots for makeshift infirmary.   Horse, escaped somehow from holding pen, follows Nasir quietly as he digs under thin layer of snow.  

Horse comes nearer and nearer,  with expression of  such yearning that Nasir relents, wraps arms around its soft, thickly muscled neck.   With loving look, horse bows head. 

‘Apologies,’ he tells horse. ‘I thought you mad.’

Standing entwined with gentle beast in snowy field,  cloak of fathomless peacefulness settles over Nasir.

He finds himself speaking softly of Spartacus, of finding himself purposeless once torn from life of relative comfort as favored body slave. Of attempt on Spartacus’ life and mercy shown to Nasir in wake of  ungrateful reaction to sudden freedom.

‘Such faith Spartacus lays in me!’ he exclaims.  ‘Even now,  knowing that I am not as I once was, at times… I wonder.  Yet  I intend always to give proof of my gratitude through faithful action.’

He tells horse of Agron, who came to him bearing wine and unromantic words.   Agron who holds savage poetry within crushing fists, whose murderous countenance  turns soft upon sight of Nasir.

‘When he kissed me in temple I felt as if - ‘  But there are no words.  ‘Afterward we stood as one.   Spartacus taught me to fight, Agron taught me to love as two men do who are free.’

He tells of vivacious, confiding Chadara, whose misery was obscured by Nasir’s  all-encompassing new love for Agron. 

‘I thought of her only as she lay contorted with pain, choking upon own blood, ’ he whispers.   Warm brown eyes of horse glimmer down at him.  ‘Agron buried her, and Agron was patient.’  

For, Nasir confides to horse, he lay portion of blame for Chadara’s death at  his own neglectful feet, until Agron with loving words swept guilt away, though it took him weeks.

‘Agron is man of loving heart exceeding capacity of all other men,’ Nasir professes solemnly. He hastens to add, ‘Though Spartacus stands his equal as man of honor.’

Nasir comes back to himself, sees that sky has begun to darken, that intended task lies only half-done.  Hurriedly he retrieves what plants he can dig up by dimming light, leads amiable animal back to horse-pen.

*

At edge of camp Nasir sits with legs dangling over outcropping of rock and speaks quietly to horse as he feeds it stolen bread.   

He confesses relief that Agron and Castus have made uneasy peace. 

‘For Castus never did wrong thing in all of this, and if he did, he absolved self in protecting my life.  He is friend to me.’ 

Agron and Castus are often together.   Spartacus finds worth in Castus’ knowledge of wars fought from open waters, but Agron distrusts Cilician, believing him treacherous, and appears often at his side, watching.

*

One terrible frostbitten day group of wild-eyed refugees surround horse-pen, clamoring for meat.

Nasir stands between animals and armed men, spear brandished, but even with Lugo beside him he is unable to stop surge of desperate bodies toward screaming horses. 

Then Agron is there, Spartacus close behind him,  with Crixus and Naevia,  Gannicus and Saxa on heels, and men are soon subdued.

They lose one horse, a white mare, and Nasir is saddened, but at same time glad that his horse is spared.

*

Horse stands behind Nasir with muzzle resting on shoulder while he feeds it  handful of hoarded grain.

‘Lugo says I must name you, and Agron agrees, and let slip that Castus advises it also,’ Nasir begins. 

Agron will not admit to finding any pleasure in pirate’s company, yet Nasir has heard them more than once speaking in friendly tones. It gladdens heart to see them so.

Looking out over impassable expanse of artificial ridge, Nasir sighs. ‘I am not afraid to die, yet to lose those I love… It is intolerable thought.  They cannot fall, they cannot!’

 Nasir closes eyes, fists balled.  When he has collected himself, he rests face against horse’s mane, breathes in its wild, now-familiar scent.  

‘My brother was called Hassan.   I can recall nothing else of him.  Now you shall be called Hassan, though you are female.  And when you are taken from me in battle I shall find you in afterlife, and you will be retired forever from fighting and hunger and cold.’

*

Now Castus winks openly at Nasir, and Agron slaps Cilican mightily upon back,  nearly upsetting smaller man.  Yet there is nothing of malice in Agron’s manner, only good nature towards man recently promoted to fellow general. 

Castus, over time, has brought out sense of helpless cheer even in Crixus and Naevia, who along with Agron, with Gannicus, stand with Spartacus  in all things now.

For there is no other way; and not one among the generals speaks of hopelessness.  Instead they jokingly boast of great accomplishment in reaching mountaintop, from lowly origin of sandy pit.

*

Nasir tells Hassan of  wrenching pain in heart which now wakes him in middle of night to clutch blindly at Agron, who clutches back with equal desperation. 

Hassan whinnies softly.  Nasir sweeps gaze over expanse of waiting Roman soldiers beneath them.

He tells of how he is nevertheless gladdened:

If he cannot have his wish and see mountain moved to world in which all are free,  he would have those whom he holds beloved mingle peacefully in waiting afterlife.

**Author's Note:**

> So Nasir's name means 'helper' or 'one who gives victory'. And Hassan is Nasir's helper when he needs to process his feelings about things. 
> 
> That's the cleverest title I could think of.
> 
> Cause I suck at titles.
> 
> Concrit is always welcome!


End file.
